I found myself staring in the mirror for the thousandth time that day. Ashton had texted me that he was on his way, so I immediately rushed to the bathroom to make sure I looked okay.
He said to dress casual, so I was wearing black skinny jeans, my black nirvana shirt with a red plaid shirt over it, and my converse. My wavy hair was cascading down my shoulders, and I debated putting it up. I didn't have time to decide, however, because the ringing of my doorbell disrupted my thoughts.
"Shit!" I cursed out loud, grabbing my wallet and phone before rushing to the door, stumbling the whole way there.
"Hi," I greeted shyly once I opened it. There stood Ashton, looking flawless as always. He was wearing the same blue bandana from a week ago, and a sleeveless Blink 182 shirt. His black skinny jeans had a hole in the knee, and he had on black vans. My eyes were lingering on his toned biceps, and I knew that if I didn't look away right now, I was going to embarrass myself. So instead, I focused my gaze on his hazel eyes. "Is that a no?" he asked, breaking me from my trance. That's when I realized I was still in the doorway, and he was waiting for me to answer a question I was too busy checking him out to hear. "I'm sorry, what was the question?" He chuckled, shaking his head slightly before repeating himself, "I asked if Italian sounded good." I could feel my cheeks burning from embarrassment as I nodded too quickly. Oh boy, this was going to be a long evening.
He opened the passenger door of his car for me, me mumbling a small thank you and him grinning at me before jogging to the driver's side. God, I was so embarrassed. Ashton started the car, turning on the radio before pulling out of my driveway and heading down the road.
We had been in the car for 10 minutes, Ashton making small talk with me the whole time. I think he could tell I was nervous, because he kept asking me if I was okay, to which I said yes everytime, even though I was having a mini heart attack just from being in the same car as him. Suddenly, the chords to a very familiar song started playing through the radio and I smiled to myself, knowing exactly which one it was. Ashton looked slightly embarrassed that they were playing Amnesia with me in the car, seeing as it was by his band.
"I love this song," I sighed contently, leaning my head against the window as I hummed a long to the words. "You like my band?" he asked, and I nodded in response, not bothering to mention that 'like' was an understatement. He grinned, continuing to drive until we finally reached the restaurant. He came around and opened my door for me. He was such a gentleman.
"So, Jade, tell me about yourself," he looked at me from across the table, and it kind of caught me off guard. I shrugged, "What do you want to know?" He pondered my question for a second before answering, "Everything. Why are you in Australia? I can tell you have a Texas accent. Are you going to school here or something?" I shook my head, beginning to fidget with my hands. This was a topic I liked to avoid. "No, I um, needed a fresh start," I reply quietly. Ashton could tell I wasn't comfortable talking about it, so thankfully he switched the subject. He told me about his family and how Luke, Calum, and Michael are his best friends. He was in the middle of telling me a story about how Michael once ate three boxes of pizza by himself in less than thirty minutes when our waiter came over, informing us that the restaurant would be closing in 5 minutes. All of our food was long gone, and I really didn't realize how long we had been sitting at that table, talking and laughing.
Ashton dropped me off at my house, walking me to the doorstep like the sweetheart he was. "Thank you for dinner, Ashton. It was nice," I smiled up at the curly haired boy. "Anytime, and I mean that," he grinned back, giving me a peck on the cheek before going to his car, sending me one last wave before pulling away. I couldn't stop the smile that was on my face as I went inside.
I laid in bed, finally ready to call it a night when my phone vibrated, startling me slightly. I looked to see a text from Ashton lighting up my screen.
From: Ash :)
Hey Jade, thanks for coming tonight. I really liked it. Maybe we can meet up tomorrow?? :)
I smiled, sending a quick reply back.
To: Ash :)
Yes, definitely. :) See you tomorrow! Goodnight!
And with that, I slipped into the darkness.
